


What If We Met Earlier?

by WayfinderGal



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Feels, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Not Canon Compliant, Persona 5 References, Persona 5: The Royal, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Romance, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayfinderGal/pseuds/WayfinderGal
Summary: Akira is given the chance to go back in time, and the one thing he wants to change most is being able to meet his dear rival earlier.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 8
Kudos: 196





	What If We Met Earlier?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! WayfinderGal here with another Persona 5 Royal fanfic! I had this idea dawn on me a while back and inspiration took overXD (Continues to write A Fool's Justice in the background)
> 
> So enjoy this lengthy one-shot and may your heart be your guiding key<3
> 
> **DISCLAIMER**  
>  This fanfiction may consist of plot points and scenes shown in Persona 5 Royal. Any scenes that seem to occur post Persona 5 Royal are created for the purposes of this fictional story. I do not own Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal. The characters, and any mentioned scenes belong to ATLUS.  
> 

“Time travel?”

Joker was beyond speechless. He didn’t expect such a method to be possible. Though, in his defense, he’s been through weirder things ever since he found out of the Metaverse and the Velvet Room about a year ago. So when Lavenza spoke these words to him, they didn’t really sound too far-fetched. And the last thing he expected was for her to look into a matter he knew he couldn’t control… or so he thought.

“That is correct, Trickster,” Lavenza nodded with her usual, calm composure. “After looking into your concerning matter with my master, we have indeed found such a method to be possible. As long as it’s used in an adequate manner.”

“It will be, I can promise you that.” Joker’s determination when he said these words was crystal clear. After he had gone back home in March, he had asked the young Velvet Room attendant if there was any way to make things right with his rival, Goro Akechi. He felt that, whether his rival’s status was MIA due to being very much alive or dead, he wanted him to have something to look back on that’d make him smile. Something that would give him a bit more happiness in life, and less bitterness and hate from the grudges that he held close to his heart. And with the current option of time travel, maybe he could give him the one thing the young detective always wanted: somebody to want him around.

“But proceed with caution, Trickster,” Lavenza continued on, “for there will be consequences for performing such a change in time. Yes, you will be able to change the past, but it will come with a higher price the further back you go.”

“What do you mean?”

“The further you travel into the past, the heavier the toll will be for you and the person involved. Usually changing a memory from a frequent past is harmless if it doesn’t truly impact future decisions… but if you were to venture into a farther past and change a significant memory, the memories, both old and new, will shift greatly due to a change in potential decisions… In this case, the mind would have to resettle all these memories into place once more. And these will include any that belong to the current version of yourself at this point in time. I cannot promise the side-effects to be so pleasant. They will be painful at most. That being said, do you still wish to proceed with this?”

Joker clenched his fists, recalling the two times he had seen his rival slip away from him. He can’t speak on how Akechi could have felt, but one thing was certain: despite not wanting to show it, his rival was hurt. And Joker would do anything to minimize or even stop his pain. “I do. If it’ll mean anything to Akechi… Then I’m willing to risk it.”

“Very well. If that is what your heart chooses, then I won’t stop you. But you must keep in mind the following rules when time traveling: You may interact with anyone in the past, even yourself. However, if you leave that past and go further back, it’ll be as if those previous interactions never happened. Going forward instead will only have the opposite effect, meaning that your actions will be remembered. As for the present you, you’ll have full recollection of your current memories, regardless of the additional memories you will acquire.”

“So I will remember seeing myself in the past and doing this trip... AND I’ll remember my past memories?”

“That is correct.”

Joker had a faint recollection of one of his classes, where Dr. Maruki addressed how the human mind is capable of storing an infinite amount of memories. He didn’t expect to actually experience that fact in its entirety, but he was actually a bit excited in doing so. After all, not only he’d remember things from his current past: he’ll remember his new memories as well.

Lavenza then extended what seemed to be a card. “Now, Trickster, do you recall the last power you were given?”

“You mean “The World”?”

“Yes. In order to time travel, you must hold out this power in your hands and call to it, telling it where in time you wish to go and what location you wish to visit. Once you do this, the power will heed your call and send you across time.”

“I see…” Joker contemplated, impressed at the power’s capabilities. “One last question: will anyone notice I’m gone while I’m away?”

Lavenza just shook her head. “If you return to the point in time when you first left, no one will be able to tell. It’ll be as if you never left.”

“All right, then.” Joker nodded, before smiling at her. “Thank you, this really means a lot.”

“Of course. Please come to me if you have any more questions.”

“Will do.”

It was then that a bell began to ring, signaling Joker to return to the realm of dreams. After bidding each other farewell, Joker went back to his sleeping state, only to wake up moments after, a sleeping Morgana still curled up at his side.

Slowly sitting up while trying not to disturb his feline friend from his slumber, Akira looked at his hand with a smile. “Looks like I have some work to do.”

“What work?”

Looking to the side, he saw Morgana groggily waking up. Rubbing the back of his neck, Akira tried to find a way to best explain his plan. But there was only one way to explain this whole situation and this will, without a doubt, shock Morgana. “I may have a way to make things right with Akechi through time travel.”

“What?! But isn’t that nearly impossible?”

Akira shook his head in denial. “Not with the power of “The World”.”

Morgana sighed. “So Lady Lavenza looked into this for you, huh?”

“Yeah,” Akira nodded. “Morgana, there’s a chance I can actually change what happened to him, and going back to change his past can change his future.”

“Akira, are you sure about this?” Morgana sat up in concern. “There’s no telling what you’ll find when you go back. And who knows what you’ll come back to when you return to the present.”

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Akira tried to assure. He didn’t want his friend worrying too much about his trip. “Besides, I have a plan that will work wonders.”

———— **11 YEARS AGO** **————**

Closing the door to his room, the younger, 6-year-old Akira walked to get some writing paper from his desk for some homework, when all of a sudden, he saw an envelope addressed to him. “Huh? What’s this?”

Opening the envelope up, he noticed several sheets of paper. He began to read the first one out of curiosity.

_Hello younger me,_

_It’s your older self writing to ask for your help._

“This has to be a prank,” the younger boy said, before throwing the letter into the little trash bin in his room. He then grabbed the second paper and read it, more convinced that this was just a simple joke and nothing else.

_Hi younger me,_

_I knew you’d throw the first letter away. You wouldn’t believe this so easily, right?_

He raised a brow. “What the heck is this?” Crumpling up the page, he threw it into the bin as well. Grabbing the third page, he then began to read with an amused expression. “Can’t trick me THAT easily.”

_Hey younger me,_

_I also knew you’d crumple up the third one. Still don’t believe me?_

“This is getting weird…” The younger Akira looked around his room and then back at the page. He tore it up and threw it away, before grabbing the next page. “Seriously, just how many are there?”

_Younger me,_

_… And I knew you’d tear up the fourth one. I am you and you are me (or “I am thou, thou art I” but you shouldn’t worry about that for now). Believe me now when I said I’m your older self?_

_If so, go to the last page in this envelope and read it. It’ll all make sense in the future, I promise._

Looking rather conflicted, the boy decided to go to the last page. Even though it seemed like a prank, the person who wrote the letters knew what he’d do to them. He didn’t see anything weird in his small bedroom, so his last resort was to believe in this stranger’s words for now. He can trust himself, right? Taking a deep breath, he began to read the final page.

_Hello again, younger me,_

_I need your help with something… Well, “someone”. In the future, you’ll meet someone that will mean the world to you but, due to dire circumstances, you won’t be able to help him on time. And this is mainly due to his rough past and actions. This, however, can be changed if you meet him sooner._

_I can explain this in more detail when I visit you. Yes, you heard me. It may sound impossible, but hey, weirder stuff has happened and you haven’t even experienced it yet. I’ll be there to help you accomplish this, since I want to pinpoint who this mysterious person is. And I’m pretty sure the younger version of himself will feel weirded out if he ended up talking to some random, older guy instead._

_So with all of that said, I bet you’re wondering: how will I know it’s you and why would I want to help some random kid I haven’t even met yet? First of all, I’ll go by the name of Joker to make things easier. And I will arrive to meet you in a year or so… maybe more than that? (I will visit a couple of times, even though for you it’ll seem like only one time). Second of all… Your future self will thank you and I promise you won’t regret it. He’s just that special to me, and he WILL be to you soon. Please just trust me on this._

_Joker_

“Joker, huh? I like it,” little Akira felt himself smile. “If there’s someone who needs my help, why CAN’T I help them?” With a glint of determination in his eyes, he held the page a bit tighter. “I can’t ignore this.”

———— **2 YEARS AGO** ————

As the 15-year-old Akira did his homework at his desk, he suddenly heard a knock coming from his window. Sometimes his friends would go to his window whenever they wanted to vent about something or just hang out, so he found this knock not so out of place. Turning to the window he called out to the potential friend at his window. And he was glad his parents weren’t home at the moment when he did. “Who is it?”

“It’s Joker.”

With widened eyes, he got up and calmly approached the window. He couldn’t see the person’s face at first, but when he opened the window and let the person in, he saw a spitting image of himself under a grey hoodie and glasses.

“And here I thought you’d never show up.” The younger Akira closed the window, before turning to examine his older self curiously. “So I wear glasses in the future?”

The older Akira adjusted his glasses. “Fake ones.”

“Sounds like something I’d do,” the younger boy nodded in approval. “Also, I thought you’d be WAY older.”

“We’re just two years apart.”

“So 17, huh?”

With a nod, the older Akira shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Exactly. Now about the help that I need...”

“You mean about that crush of yours— well, ours? Though I haven’t even met him yet… And I KINDA knew there were some bi vibes going on with me for a long time...”

“Wait, how did you figure THAT out? Not about the bi part: that much is very obvious.”

“Going to great extents to help this ONE person, while saying how special they are to you? How can I NOT realize that?”

“True…” Older Akira fiddled with the center of his bangs sheepishly. Was he that easy to read? Well, this was his younger self, so how could he hide his own feelings from himself? “Anyway, I just need you to do one thing: talk to him and be his friend. Someone he can count on and will always be there for him.”

The younger Akira cocked his head to the side as he crossed his arms. “Sounds easy enough.”

“But he isn’t so simple,” the older Akira clarified. Knowing the Akechi he knew, that would most likely be the case.

But the younger Akira just took this clarification with a smirk on his face. “I like a good challenge.”

This made the older Akira laugh. “And that’s one of the many reasons he’ll be drawn to you.”

“Then let’s get started,” the younger boy nodded. “Lead the way, me.”

* * *

After reaching some random café nearby, the two Akira’s saw a young boy reading a book at a table. With a smile, “Joker” gestured to this boy without hesitation. “That’s him.”

“You mean that guy?” Smaller Akira asked but didn’t complain. “Gotta say, he looks kinda cute.”

The older Akira laughed a bit. “Agreed. Though he does get hotter in the next few years.”

“Damn.” Younger Akira blinked a couple of times at his older self, before looking back to the younger Akechi with a bit more intrigue. “So… you just want me to talk to him for a bit?”

“Without it being so weird.”

“... I think I can manage.”

With that said, younger Akira walked over casually to the café and ordered some coffee. While he was waiting, he acted as if he took notice of Akechi nearby, specifically the book he was reading. The younger boy was glad: he had actually read that book before.

Grabbing his coffee, he then approached the young Akechi. “That’s a good book you’re reading.”

The calm boy looked up to the boy speaking to him. “It really is.” He then returned his gaze to his book, as if nothing happened. 

“It’s very inspirational,” the young Akira tried to push on.

Young Akechi’s nonchalant gaze then met his once more. “Can I help you with something?”

“Not really,” the young boy shrugged. “I just noticed some random guy reading an uncommon book and I just so happen to have read it myself. Couldn’t help but point it out.”

“I see.” Young Akechi then looked back to his book, turning a page as he continued speaking. “It’s actually surprising that not many people have the same type of interest in it. To be honest, I can get lost in it for hours without even noticing it.”

“It’s their loss then. That’s some good stuff.”

The boy then looked up from his book again, a spark of intrigue in his eyes. “Agreed.”

“Mind if I sit with you then?” The raven-haired boy pointed to the chair next to the young Akechi. “I want to know your thoughts about the book so far.”

The brunet just stared blankly at him. “You’re quite the interesting one.”

Young Akira just smiled. “I get that a lot.”

Closing his book and placing it down on the table, the younger Akechi locked eyes with the other youth. “Well then, since I’m here on break and all, I believe interchanging some thoughts with someone wouldn’t be too time consuming.” He then extended a left hand to him. “But formalities first: my name is Goro Akechi.”

Taking his hand, young Akira shook it with his right. “And I’m Akira Kurusu.”

“All right then, Kurusu-kun,” young Akechi nodded, “care to tell me your thoughts on…”

Their conversation went on for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was for just one, for after the hour was up, young Akechi had bid younger Akira farewell after exchanging contact information with him. And all this time, the older Akira was listening in on their chatting. But once they concluded and the younger version of himself approached him once more, he experienced a light headache. Him meeting Akechi earlier had added some newer memories. However, he didn’t get any new memories about the interrogation room, the boiler room, and Maruki’s reality.

‘Looks like the toll Lavenza mentioned was a headache…’ Joker thought, holding his head with one hand.

“Did it work, Jo—? Hold up, are you okay?” The younger version of him looked at his older self with concerned eyes.

“I’m fine, just a headache,” older Akira brushed it off. He shouldn’t worry himself. “And looks like it didn’t…”

“Oh… Then does that mean you’ll visit me earlier?”

Joker smiled at this recollection of words from his previous letter. He was the type of person to consider every tiny detail. After all, he sees a lot of things. “That’s right. You did good here by the way. And I’m sure you’ll do great when I meet with you a bit earlier.”

It was the younger Akira’s turn to smile. “I’ll do my best.”

———— **3 YEARS AGO** ————

A 14-year-old Akira was walking into his room, when all of a sudden he heard a knock on his window. “Who—?”

“Joker.”

“Ah.”

Joker knew the drill: knock on the window, say he’s Joker, and explain anything his younger self was confused about. And it worked like a charm.

Opening the window, young Akira let Joker into his room. “You sure took your time.”

“Well, yes, but actually no,” the older Akira shrugged, taking off his hood as the younger Akira closed the window. “This is actually my second visit.”

“Huh, when you said I wouldn’t remember, you weren’t joking around.”

Joker grinned in an amused manner. “Pun intended?”

The younger Akira just laughed. “Very. So… who’s the lucky guy?”

“... You figured it out, too?” The older Akira asked. To be honest, he had to tip his hat off to himself for knowing he had feelings for Akechi right off the bat. He didn’t expect himself to be so perceptive of things like crushes at the age he got the letter. Or perhaps he wanted to be in denial in that regard, since he was younger and all?

“Didn’t you write “I am you and you are me?” I’m pretty sure I was going to find out after reading that letter. Especially since I’m currently suspecting myself to be pretty bi.”

Joker nodded. “Valid point. Now… shall we get started?”

* * *

“I can see why you’d want to save him…” the younger Akira eyed the younger Akechi, who was entering a library close by. “He’s very—”

“Attractive? Yes, I know,” Joker cut in. “But when you end up talking with him for hours… That takes the cake. So, go get ‘em, tiger.”

The younger Akira just laughed. “I’ll try to not make things weird.”

“Trust me, he’ll at least find you interesting to the point of feeling drawn to you.”

“Then wish me luck, Joker.” The younger Akira then left, going into the library.

The older Akira sighed. “Let’s hope this works...“

———— **3.5 YEARS AGO** ————

Akira held his head for the third time. “... Why isn’t this working? His future should be different.”

After the second intervention, Akira managed to get newer memories again, but not for the interrogation room, the boiler room, and Maruki’s reality. He had started to ask himself: Had he gone far enough? Had he reached a point of the past that could allow such a change in the future? He thought so, since a slightly stronger headache took over him at the time. But he had to try his plan again. And so he went ahead and went a bit farther into the past. If he couldn’t change Akechi’s past by visiting him during the time he first started working for Shido, then he should try visiting him before he even told Shido about his power in the Metaverse.

And so came the third intervention, which in the end had the same effects as the second one. But there was a key difference: his headache’s pain had increased.

With a sigh, Akira looked to his hand, a thought coming to mind as a last resort. He didn’t care how much it’d hurt. He just wanted things to be different. “Looks like I’ll need to go back. WAY back.”

———— **PRESENT DAY** ————

Akechi held his head in pain as he confidently walked down Shibuya’s Central Street. This has happened not once, not twice, but three times in the same week. He didn’t usually get these headaches, but the sudden addition to his memories was concerning him greatly. Meeting Akira before Shujin visited the TV station? Impossible. It was also incomprehensible to him how his recollection of meeting Akira began to shift for the past few days. At first, he thought he’d met Akira during his rise to stardom as the Detective Prince. He then thought he’d met him right after he started working for Shido. And now he thought he met Akira days before he barged into Shido’s office to tell him about his special power. 

Reaching the alleyway, he saw a glowing, blue door, along with a young, familiar face.

Lavenza looked at him with wide eyes. “It’s you.”

“I would like to speak with you about something.” Akechi crossed his arms as he spoke in his usual, serious tone. “It can’t wait.”

“... Very well, come with me.” Turning on her heel, Lavenza walked through the now opened door to the Velvet Room, Akechi following suit.

Arriving at the circular room, Akechi gritted his teeth as he felt his throbbing head. “... Once is by chance, two times is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. Now tell me: what the hell is Joker doing?”

Lavenza let out a resigned sigh. “Well…”

———— **10 YEARS AGO** ————

“It’s that kid over there.” The older Akira pointed to the 8-year-old Akechi, who was currently sitting down at a bench inside a bathhouse. He had a frown on his face as he twiddled with his thumbs.

“He looks kinda sad…” The younger Akira, who was 7 years old at the time, frowned as well. The two Akiras were standing right in front of the bathhouse’s entrance, peeping inside to look at Akechi’s younger self.

But Joker just smiled. “I think what he needs is a friend.”

The child’s eyes had a spark of determination to them. “And you want me to be that friend?”

Joker nodded. “It’s best if he met you sooner rather than later.”

Nodding back at him, the smaller Akira entered the bathhouse without further delay. As he leaned back against the building, Akira sighed. ‘I really hope this works. I don’t know how far back I can keep going—’

His thoughts were then interrupted by a pair of hands pinning his shoulders in place, his vision now focused on a pair of glaring, red-brown eyes. Akira could recognize them anywhere.

“Akira, stop this at once,” Akechi warned in a serious tone. He was just about done with these headaches and, right now, he wanted to punch Akira’s lights out for doing something so reckless. But he restrained himself, wanting a valid explanation for his rival’s actions. If there was any to begin with.

Akira just asked the next logical question he could think of at the moment. “Akechi, how are you here?”

“Lavenza was kind enough to lend me the same power as you to travel back in time to meet you,” Akechi explained in an icy tone. His hands then tightened on Akira’s shoulders. “Since I answered your question, have the decency to answer mine: What the hell are you doing time traveling into the past? Specifically MY past?”

Akira turned his hands into fists, his gaze locked onto Akechi’s. He knew his rival would understand his reason “why” to travel back in time. But there was no way the brown-haired boy would be convinced of the rightfulness of his actions. Not after everything Shido’s former hitman has done. So Akira stood his ground with what he knew, regardless of the possible outcome. “”Under different circumstances, we could have been great rivals… or perhaps even friends.” That’s what you said before. Hell, I even thought we could have been more than just friends—”

“Akira, don’t,” Akechi cut in, his voice stern.

But Akira continued on, regardless of his warning. “Akechi, you even wondered why we couldn’t have met a few years earlier.” He then grabbed onto Akechi’s wrists, trying to see if he could reach him somehow. “Can’t you see what I’m trying to do right now?”

“Don’t touch me,” Akechi pushed his arms off him, distancing himself from him in the process. “You have no right to do this.”

“What happened to you wasn’t fair.” Akira wanted to press on. He needed to prove his point to him. “You deserve your own justice.”

Akechi just stared daggers at the raven-haired boy. “Are you serious—?”

“Hey, are you okay?” Akira’s younger voice had reached the teens’ ears, making them pause in their heated debate.

“What’s it to you?” The younger Akechi asked, gazing at the boy in front of him.

The older Akechi couldn’t help but peek into the bathhouse, noticing his younger, as well as weaker, self.

“Well… I can’t just see someone sad and ignore them. It doesn’t feel right.” The younger Akira sat down next to him on the bench, a smile on his face.

“But it’s easier.”

“Doing something bad is easier and less rewarding than doing something good.”

Little Akechi looked back to his hands. “How can you be so sure?”

“That’s simple: leaving you all alone is easy, but talking to you just to make you smile? I need to put in a bit more effort in what I’m doing.” Little Akira grinned from ear to ear. “And bringing a smile to someone’s face is always a worthy prize.”

Looking back at the younger Akira’s and noticing his smile, the smaller Akechi couldn’t help but find him amusing. He started to laugh lightly at the sight.

The smaller Akira’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Wow, I even got you to laugh!”

“You know,” the younger Akechi started to say, toning down his laughter, “you’re a bit strange. But interesting at the same time.”

“I’m Akira Kurusu, by the way,” little Akira beamed. “I hope we can be friends.”

“Friends… Do you really mean that?” Smaller Akechi blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden offer. He didn’t really have friends before. And having someone come up to him and ask him? He was speechless.

The smaller Akira cocked his head to the side, a smile still evident on his face. “Of course!”

“Then… sure,” small Akechi gave him a small smile. “We can be friends. My name’s Goro Akechi.”

“Goro… I like it,” small Akira admitted on the spot. “It suits you.”

“Thanks, Akira…” little Akechi laughed a bit. “I mean it.”

Meanwhile, the older Akechi looked at the scene in silence, his focus fully on the two children inside the bathhouse. But after the moment ended, he sighed at the rival in front of him. “What’s the point in doing all of this? You think that me meeting a younger version of yourself is going to make my future any different?”

“It’s worth a shot.”

“... You’re being selfish.” Akechi shook his head in disapproval. “You’re even acting like Maruki, wanting to change everything for everyone.”

“But this change isn’t fake.” Akira stared at him. “It’s actually the real deal.”

“Akira, this is—!”

A headache suddenly hit Akechi like a storm, making him hold his head in pain. A memory then began to surface in his head: the one they were currently witnessing before their very eyes. And then came another, and another… Until he felt himself grow dizzy and fall to his knees. But he wasn’t the only one, for Akira was also going through the same ordeal. Lavenza had warned Joker about the consequences of going too far back… and they were now paying the price through an even larger headache.

But despite the pain, Akira had extended a hand towards Akechi and brought him close, their heads on each other’s shoulders.

“Akira—”

“Stop being stubborn and hold on to me.”

Akira’s serious tone made Akechi hold his tongue, as well as his urge to push him away once more. The feeling of new memories surfacing back to back was overwhelming for the both of them, so having something, or someone, to hold onto was the best choice to not overcome the ordeal alone. So Akechi held onto Akira for dear life, feeling his memories shift and surface in his mind.

.

.

.

“I win again, Akira!” Akechi beamed with excitement. The two children had just challenged each other to a race. And it seemed that Akechi had won by at least a second.

Akira just pouted with crossed arms. “You won’t say the same next time, Goro. You just watch!”

“Please, I’d like to see you try.”

Pointing a finger at Akechi, Akira had a determined look on his face. “As your rival, I will always find a way to beat you.”

The brunet raised a brow. “Rival?”

“Yeah!” The ravenette nodded. “Sounds cool, right?”

Akechi blinked, processing the term, before smiling. “You know what? It sounds fitting. I like it.”

.

.

.

“Goro…” Akira muttered, seeing his friend looking at his mother’s grave with a frown. “Sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah,” Akechi could only say, wanting to hold back his tears. He didn’t want anyone to see his weak side, even if someone precious to him left their world.

But a few tears managed to escape as he felt a pair of arms hug him tightly. “Things will get better, I promise.”

Hearing these words coming from his only friend, Akechi could only hug back. “... I hope so, too.”

As neither of them moved, they continued to hold onto each other, Akechi occasionally sniffling and Akira slowly rubbing his back. It was moments later that Akira spoke up. “Always know that I’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

.

.

.

Akira was looking at Akechi, who was currently putting his small briefcase into his relative’s car. “Goro, do you really need to go?”

Akechi heaved a light sigh. “Yes… I do.”

“Then… keep in touch, alright?” Akira felt tears forming at the corner of his eyes, but he didn’t want them to fall. Instead, he just wiped at them with a hand, before giving Akechi a slip of paper. “Here, this is my house’s phone number. Call anytime you wanna talk! And give me yours whenever you get to your new place!”

“Akira…” Akechi looked at his young rival and friend in awe, accepting the piece of paper. He did a better job at holding back his tears though. “Thank you. I’ll call when I get the chance and let you know.”

Akira then managed to smile, tears involuntarily falling from his face. “Great!”

“Also…” Akechi went on, looking down. “Could you promise me something? Promise me you won’t forget having me as a friend.”

“Of course I won’t forget, silly!” Akira smiled, a tear falling down one of his cheeks. “But if it’s a promise you want me to keep, then I’ll keep it with all my heart. Just don’t forget to promise another thing to me: don’t forget having me as a rival.”

With a sudden laugh, followed by an uncontrollable tear, Akechi managed to smile at his request. “How could I not?”

Akira extended a pinky to the brunet. “Then it’s a promise.”

Seeing that his friend kept on surprising him, Akechi couldn’t help but chuckle as he hooked their pinkies together. “Right, a promise.”

.

.

.

“You haven’t changed one bit, Goro,” Akira smiled as he sat across the booth from his friend and rival, an elbow on the table as he supported his chin with a hand. The two had decided to meet up after years of phone calls, and later on text messages. So they were now at some café, drinking some coffee while they played some chess and enjoyed each other’s company.

“And here I thought I changed over the years,” Akechi commented with a smirk, sipping his coffee. “I even thought I toughened up a bit and improved my charismatic skills.”

“Maybe,” Akira admitted, sipping his own coffee, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I still see the same ol’ Goro from back then.”

The brunet arched a curious brow at him. “In a good way or in a bad way?”

“Definitely good!” His rival clarified, before grabbing at the center of his bangs sheepishly. “I just noticed you for you. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah…” Akechi mused, looking at his coffee and then at Akira. “I believe I do. Since you haven’t changed in the slightest either.”

Akira grinned, before pointing at the chess board in front of them. “So… You wanna play another round?”

“Oh, it’s on,” Akechi smiled smugly, helping Akira set up the chess board once more. He wasn’t going to let Akira beat him. He won last round, and he wasn’t going to lose his streak.

A chime then came from the brunet’s phone, which made him dig through his pockets and unlock it for a moment. It was a usual notification from his news feed. Not bothering to lock his phone again and letting it lock itself automatically, Akechi shoved it back into his pockets. “Thought it was a message. I’m currently working on a school project that’s due soon, so I need to pay attention to my phone more often.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Please, playing games with my rival is far more enjoyable.”

Just as they started their new game, the TV started to talk about the current news. It was mainly about the upcoming elections, which were going to be held near the end of the year.

Akira just looked at the screen momentarily, before moving one of his pieces. “Seriously, what’s this guy’s deal?”

“Masayoshi Shido?” Akechi looked at the screen with a glare, before returning his focus on his game and moving a piece of his own. “He’s that corrupt politician over at the Diet Building, always acting all high and mighty.”

“I can see that. But seriously… him “steering the country”?”

“The country is not some ship he can steer around. It’s ridiculous.”

Suddenly, their surroundings began to change, and before they knew it, the two friends were no longer at some café: they were at some sort of building.

“Where are we?” Akira looked around in shock, taking in his surroundings.

“I don’t know… But there’s a strange air to it,” Akechi admitted, doing the same.

The ravenette’s attention then turned to the building in front of them. “Wanna take a look inside?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” His rival placed a hand to his hip. “At most, we should find a way out of here, not go in deeper.”

“Then let’s take a look over there.” Akira pointed to the edge of what seemed to be a balcony’s railing, walking towards it as he spoke. But he froze on the spot as he saw what laid ahead of that railing. “Whoa… Looks like we won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

Struck with confusion, the brunet rushed to Akira’s side, his eyes widening at their current view. There was a vast ocean in front of them, along with sinking buildings. And their current location? A ship. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Halt, intruders!”

Turning to the sudden voice, Akechi and Akira saw a tall, masked being in front of them. And it didn’t look too friendly.

“Who are you to order us around?” Akira argued.

The figure was not phased by the youths. “Only our prime minister’s guests are allowed in this ship.”

“Well we had no idea HOW we got in to begin with!” Akechi exclaimed, finding this encounter to be confusing in itself.

“Silence, pests!” The figure shouted, before transforming into what seemed to be a giant, white lion. But just before it struck down on them, Akira had pushed Akechi behind him. And it was at that moment that the creature hit Akira, throwing him to the side with a thud.

With wide eyes and a rush of adrenaline, Akechi bolted to his rival’s side, kneeling down and examining his state. He was unconscious. “Akira? Akira!” He tried shaking the ravenette awake, but to no avail. Looking back at the now approaching animal, he clenched his hands tightly. “No… I won’t let you hurt him!” At that moment, he felt a surge of pain coming from his head.

“Well look who’s come to.” A hearty voice appeared in the boy’s mind as he held his head with both hands. The voice even sounded chivalrous to him. “Are you really going to let this unjust fiend trample over the one other person who has made your life just?”

“Or are you a spineless fool who’d rather succumb to loss once again?” A more sinister voice rang through his thoughts as well, making a chill run through his spine. But, for some reason, he found it quite fitting. “Would you rather let such a negative emotion consume you to the point of obscuring your true justice?”

“Not again…” The boy shook his head despite the pain. “I know I couldn’t save my mother… But I can save him!” His hands suddenly felt a sharp mask on his face. He grabbed at it tightly. “And that is true justice. MY justice.” Forcefully pulling at his mask to take it off, he managed to rip it off his face with a scream. He could care less about the blood on the upper portion of his face. “And I won’t let this truth die in vain!”

“Very well!” The chivalrous voice chuckled amusedly.

“Then our contract is sealed, our power yours,” the chill-inducing voice added with what sounded like a sneer.

“I am thou, thou art I,” the two voices said in unison. “Uncover the truth you doth seek and allow justice to prevail!”

Seconds later, flames engulfed Akechi, leaving their current enemy standing before them in confusion. Once the flames disappeared, his true transformation was revealed: a black mask, as well as a black and dark-blue outfit to match. It was the same Metaverse outfit his past self wore, but it had a catch: there were hints of dark red at the upward tips of his mask . There were even some dark red accents on some details of his attire.

In the distant past, he had awakened Loki because of his negative emotions of his childhood, and he had awakened Robin Hood due to his connection to Akira. But now, the main difference was that Loki was summoned due to the negative emotion of seeing, not one, but two people he held dear getting hurt. And he wanted it to stop. He already lost his mother, and he wasn’t going to lose Akira too.

Having no time to marvel in his sudden change in outfit, Akechi got up, a snarl evident on his face as he stared his enemy down. “How dare you attack us!” With a hand to his mask, he called upon one of his recently awakened Personas. “Come forth, Robin Hood!” 

With a slash, Robin Hood came to his aid, shooting a ray of light from his bow and hitting his enemy. The beast was going to retaliate, but Akechi knew better.

“Now… To me, Loki!” The boy called, his second Persona coming to his aid and obliterating the lion with a sharp, deadly sword. And after this swift attack, the foe vanished into thin air.

Looking at his new outfit, Akechi grinned slyly from ear to ear. “Such power… How exhilarating.” He never expected that he’d get such an ability. But now? He knew he had some sort of power within him that could come to his aid. “I should—”

“Goro?”

The sudden voice pulled the pondering youth back into reality. Turning to his awakening friend, Akechi crouched down to help him. “Akira, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the boy answered, accepting the help and standing on his two feet once more. “What’s with the getup?”

“I don’t know…” Akechi confessed. “It’s some strange power. Honestly, I’m surprised. I managed to beat that thing down to size in a matter of seconds.”

“Then that’s a good thing,” Akira nodded, before smiling at Akechi. “Thanks for saving my ass back there.”

“No problem. Now… how the hell do we get out of here?” Akechi said, the question more to himself than to Akira. He then recalled how his phone had murmured something right before they arrived at this other world. ‘Wait… what if…?’ Checking his phone, he saw that the screen had some app opened. And there appeared to be a button that said “Return to the real world”.

“Found something?” Akira peered at his phone.

Glancing at his friend, he nodded. “Looks like it.” He pressed the button, which, in the blink of an eye, took them back to that café they were at moments ago. They were still sitting at their usual table.

“We’re finally back,” Akira sighed in relief. “That was one hell of a show.”

“You can say that again,” Akechi glanced away from him, also sighing. He then took a look at the currently opened app, before closing it and locking his phone.

The raven-haired boy knew something was up. Getting up from his seat, he slid onto Akechi’s side of the booth and placed a hand on his arm. “Hey… What’s wrong?”

“Looks like the app registers keywords. So getting into that world must have been triggered by what I said. So it’s my fault… I got us into that strange world. I could have gotten us killed in there.”

“It’s all right, Goro,” Akira brought Akechi into a hug. “What matters is we’re okay.”

But rather than hugging back right away, the brunet tensed up. It was when he noticed his hesitation that he hugged Akira back. “Yeah.”

Letting go of his rival, Akira beamed at him. “So how about we start another game? Our last one kinda got interrupted.”

The shift of conversation only amused Akechi, since, to him, this was typical Akira. So he went along with it. “I’d like that.”

.

.

.

“Goro, wait!” Akira shouted, grabbing at Akechi’s wrist. They were at some alleyway that was close to the Diet Building talking about a plan that Akechi had in mind to get the justice he deserved. But, to Akechi’s disappointment, Akira refused to let him go through with it. Yes, the young man sounded worried, but Akechi refused to get affected by his emotions. He at least expected his friend to back him up on this matter.

So the brunet just pulled away from his rival. “I need to do this, Akira.”

“Revenge is never the answer,” Akira urged. “True justice can’t be obtained like this!”

Having enough of his arguments, Akechi turned to face him, locking eyes with Akira’s. “What do YOU know about justice? Because of that lowlife, my mother and I had to suffer. You have no idea what it’s like to be passed on from relative to relative… All because I wasn’t wanted as a child. Because no one cared to actually acknowledge me! That’s why—”

Akira, deciding he’d heard enough, pulled Akechi into an embrace. “You have me.” His hold on him tightened as he squeezed him for a moment. “You’ll always have me.”

Looking at the raven-haired head that was now on one of his shoulders for a brief second, he turned his head away from the sight in frustration, all the while resisting the sudden urge to hug him back. “You don’t know that.”

“I DO know that,” Akira argued, moving his hands so that he was holding his friend’s arms instead, their eyes once again locked onto each other. “Why do you think I always tried to call and text all those years back? We even met a few weeks ago to catch up and we didn’t force it. We both genuinely wanted to see each other again. And what I wouldn’t give to see you more often?” He then tightened his grip on him. “Goro, I like having you around more than anything in the world. Do you even know how special you are to me? I care a great deal about you!”

“I…” Surprise swept across Akechi’s face, the amount of information appearing rather overwhelming to him.

Akira then brought him into another bone-crushing hug, only this time, he didn’t notice the faint, pink blush on Akechi’s cheeks. “Please reconsider… I feel that I might lose you if you do this.”

Processing on what to say or even do after he heard Akira plead in such a shaky tone, Akechi let out a sigh, wrapping his arms around Akira and placing his head on one of his shoulders. And with some hesitation, he tilted his head so that it’d bump into his rival’s ever so lightly. “Fine. But I do plan to get back at him somehow… Just… Not right now.” 

“Goro…” Akira sighed, wanting to ignore the blush forming across his cheeks.

“It’ll be less drastic, I can promise that much,” Akechi murmured. He then chuckled lightly. “You know… I’ve always been jealous of you. You’ve always been free to do whatever the hell you want. Me? Not so much.”

“Then start doing that now.” Akira rubbed circles on Akechi’s back with a hand. “Choose who you want to become, get close to whoever you want and, above all, be happy.”

For some reason, Akechi felt that his friend’s touch brought him a sense of peace. He didn’t know why, but for some reason it was the right amount of comfort he needed at the moment. He felt he could get used to it. “I assume you’ll be a part of that happiness, no?”

Akira just shook his head lightly, feeling his rival’s head close to his. “I’m not going anywhere.”

.

.

.

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but—” Akechi began to say as he walked across the TV Station’s backstage hallways, before noticing a familiar face among the three talking students. “Well if it isn’t Akira! It’s been a while.”

The ravenette’s eyes lit up immediately. “Goro.”

“You two know each other?” Ryuji asked in confusion.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Akira explained.

Akechi nodded in agreement. “And you really weren’t kidding when you said you’d be attending Shujin Academy.” He then approached them casually. “Anyway, I was just passing by to greet you all, given that we’ll be filming together. But this is truly a surprise.”

“Same here,” Akira beamed. “We really need to get together at some point. It’s been a long time, Mr. Detective.”

The brunet laughed bashfully. “Oh come now, is it really necessary for you to address me as such?” He then realized how the other two in the room weren’t aware of who he was. “Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi.”

“Akechi?” Ann asked.

“So, you famous for being a detective?” Ryuji added on.

“I just appear on TV a couple of times, nothing major,” Akechi admitted, before his phone began to buzz. “My apologies, I truly was just passing by. There’s going to be a briefing for tomorrow’s recording and I need to attend it.” He then appeared to have realized something. “So, I heard you’re going to have cake now? I’m a bit hungry myself, considering I missed lunch today.”

“Huh? Cake? What’re you talking about?” Ryuji asked in a confused tone.

Akechi blinked in surprise. “Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes...”

“Morgana said it,” Akira admitted, making the other two blondes and Morgana look at him in shock.

“Dude, what the hell?” Ryuji asked in disbelief.

Ann just waved at Akechi to not mind the ravenette. “He’s just joking around.”

“Guys, it’s okay,” Akira assured. “He also has a Persona.”

Ryuji’s jaw dropped at the reveal. “Wait, for real?!”

“Persona?” Akechi asked in confusion. “You mean that strange power from all those years ago?”

Akira nodded. “Exactly.”

“No way…” Morgana climbed on top of Akira’s shoulder to look at the brunet. “You sure are lucky in finding more Persona users, Akira. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

Akechi’s face then became even more confused. “Is that a talking cat?”

“You bet,” Akira affirmed, regardless of Morgana’s complaints. “But we can talk about it later. Didn’t you say you need to go?”

Akechi laughed. “That’s right, thanks for the reminder.” Turning to leave, he waved at Akira. “Text me later, okay?”

“Gotcha.”

.

.

.

“Akira,” Akechi approached Akira after the filming concluded. “Quite the discussion we had back there.”

“Just like the good old days,” Akira said matter-of-factly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, walking off with the detective at his side. “Though to be honest, I thought you’d agree with the Phantom Thieves.”

Reaching the backstage hallways, Akechi shook his head, his voice hushed. “If I am to work with all of you, I should keep a low profile, no?”

“Fair enough.”

As they stopped in their tracks, they continued on with their conversation. “In any case. I really missed speaking to you in person like this. We should really hang out when we’re free. I’ll be in Tokyo for a good while, after all.”

“And I’ll be staying here until my probation is up.”

Akechi frowned. “Ah, right. Such an awful thing happened to you. I really hope you find the bastard who wronged you. Let me know if I can help you out in any way. I may be a detective, but I can potentially aid in following up on your case.”

“It’ll be okay, don’t worry,” Akira smiled at him. “I’ll let you know if I need any help.”

“Good,” Akechi nodded. “So, are you free right now? I’ve been meaning to grab some coffee.”

Akira’s eyes glistened with what seemed to be enthusiasm. “As a matter of fact, I know a great place.”

.

.

.

“This room keeps getting homier the more I come up here,” Akechi admitted, placing his coffee cup on a table that was next to the sofa. He then sat down on the sofa in a leisurely fashion. “I must be getting used to it.”

“You don’t need to keep your usual Detective Prince facade when you’re with me, you know,” Akira said, sitting down next to him.

“Force of habit,” Akechi sighed, before his face relaxed into a more serious one. “But I know.”

Akira leaned back against the sofa’s cushions. “Being a detective isn’t all that easy, huh?”

“Keeping a pleasant facade so that people actually take a liking to you, satisfying the public masses and my enormous fanbase…” Akechi leaned back as well, his arms crossed. He then shook his head. “It’s a hassle on its own.”

“Well know that you can always come here if you want a break,” Akira smiled at him.

And Akechi smiled an honest smile back. “Thanks.”

.

.

.

“Is this really necessary?” Akechi glared at his rival, who was now ruffling up his hair in the restroom. They were standing quite close to each other, which Akechi found a bit uncomfortable on his end, considering the faint blush on his cheeks.

“It is, trust me,” Akira nodded, running his fingers across his friend’s locks, focusing more on Akechi’s hair than on his face. Finishing up his hair, he then grabbed his glasses and placed them on Akechi. “Perfection.”

“Let’s get on with this, shall we?” Akechi said, before leaving the restroom with Akira.

.

.

.

“I knew there was something fishy when you said you liked sweet things,” Akira eyed Akechi from across the table.

Akechi just chuckled. “Presenting oneself in a favorable light is nothing surprising.” He then locked eyes with Akira for a moment longer, his wording just as subtle as his gaze. “But what surprises more is just how innocent you seem to be, Akira.”

The raven-haired boy was about to retaliate, but Kasumi beat him to something else. “I’ve been wondering: how do you two know each other?”

Akechi smiled at her. “Well you see…”

.

.

.

“This is actually a really nice place.” Akira looked around the jazz club, noticing its laid-back decor and listening to the rhythmic music.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Akechi smiled, his facade gone for the moment. “With the soothing atmosphere and music, it’s the perfect place for people to wind down.”

Akira nodded in agreement. “Looks like I got my go-to jazz club.”

“So it seems,” Akechi chuckled. “To be blunt, you’re the only person I’ve ever brought here. Though I think that’s more than expected when it comes to us. We have known each for a long time, so of course we’d go to the places we’d recommend each other.”

“Then how about we make this our spot whenever we want to unwind?” Akira suggested casually, grabbing at his drink. “Other than Leblanc, of course.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Akechi smiled smugly. “We may not have chess, but at least we’ll have good music and company.”

.

.

.

The brunet placed his video game gun in its slot, a satisfied expression on his face. “And I win this round.”

Akira followed suit with a grin. “Best three out of four?”

“It’s going to be the same results, Akira.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” The ravenette shoved his hands in his pockets as he kept his gaze on his friend. “But seriously, how are you so good?”

“Maybe I wanted to be ready before I actually took you out?”

“Like, on a date or with a gun?”

“Well, which one’s more likely to happen?”

“Good question... I feel that you’d rather go on a date with me instead of shooting me dead.”

“Valid assumption. I believe the real question would be: why would I shoot you?”

“True. So…” He eyed his rival playfully. “You’d date me?”

“If the opportunity arises,” Akechi smirked in a suggestive manner as he played along. He then laughed lightly. “I’m kidding.”

“Ouch,” Akira placed a hand to his heart, acting hurt, “so you wouldn't go out with me?”

“The game’s starting,” the brunet changed topics, grabbing his gaming gun. “Look sharp.”

“Goro, don’t leave me hanging like this!” Akira whined, picking up his gaming gun and continuing on with their new game.

.

.

.

“Is this a date, Detective?” Akira arched a brow playfully, wanting to hear the potential response from his rival.

Akechi just chuckled pleasantly. “Of course it’s not.”

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Akira sighed. “And here I thought I could hold your hand and maybe—”

“Stop kidding around,” Akechi whispered loud enough for him to hear. His tone was his usual tone whenever the brunet had put away his facade for the day,

But Akira wanted to keep up with the banter. “Don’t you mean “joking” around?”

Akechi rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, very funny.”

They then kept walking around the aquarium, and as they reached a tank near the end of their current hallway, they stopped to admire the fish lurking about. But it was when they stopped that Akechi felt a hand accidentally brush up against his, which made him tense up.

And Akira noticed his sudden behavior. “Goro?”

The detective shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

His rival just peered at his face. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” Akechi said, keeping his gaze on the fish in front of him.

.

.

.

“That bath really was a blast from the past,” Akechi acknowledged, drying his hair with a towel. Since the two rivals decided on doing the usual sleepover after going to the bathhouse, the brunet was currently sitting at the sofa over at Akira’s bedroom.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve actually slept over, too,” Akira added, spreading a futon on the floor. He then looked over to his rival, who seemed to be lost in thought. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been acting strange for a few weeks and I’m getting worried. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Akechi just sighed, folding the towel in his hands. “... Not everything.”

“Is it about me? I can take it,” Akira said reassuringly. “Really, I can.”

“Don’t worry yourself. Besides, I’d rather not talk about it.” The brunet stood up and made his way to the futon. He then laid down on it. “I’m tired, so let’s just go to sleep. Sleep well.”

Akira just sighed, walking to turn off the lights before approaching his bed. “... Okay, sweet dreams.”

‘I can’t tell him,’ Akechi internally sighed as he enveloped himself even deeper in his covers. ‘I don’t want to risk it.’

.

.

.

“You’re my rival, so this sort of challenge shouldn’t have surprised you,” Akechi smirked at his rival over at Central Station. They had just finished their first one-on-one duel in Mementos, with Joker being the victor.

“Of course it didn’t.”

“Then that’s perfect. I appreciate it that you went out of your way to fulfill my selfish request.”

The ravenette laughed. “Hey, everyone’s allowed to be selfish.”

HIs rival chuckled back at him. “Though I’m curious… Did you see yourself winning at the end of our duel? That is, if we fought to the very end?”

Akira shook his head. “I definitely wouldn’t lose.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.” The brunet crossed his arms. “Even though I let you have this one, I want you to remember something: next time we duel, I will be the one to defeat you.” Taking off his right glove, he threw it at Akira, who caught it without a second thought. “Let that glove be my proof.”

Clutching the glove in his hands, Akira showed a determined face. “I accept your duel.”

“Wonderful.” Akechi gave a determined nod back at him.

“So,” Akira on, putting away the glove by shoving it into one of his pockets, “you planning on heading back to your place?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Akechi placed a hand to his hip. “It’s been a long day.”

“You sure you don’t want some late, night coffee? My treat.”

Akechi raised a brow to his rival. “Are you seriously trying to lure me into your so-called home with coffee?”

“Maybe?”

“... I’ll have a cup.”

.

.

.

“... Atone, you piece of shit,” Akechi recalled Crow telling Shido's shadow, before he saw him vanish before his eyes. The Phantom Thieves were finally out of Shido’s collapsing Palace and back to the real world. The girls were giving Ryuji a bad time for disappearing on them like that. And the other guys were just looking at the events unfolding before them. Akechi just sighed at the sight. “At least it’s all over.”

“Yeah,” Akira chimed in, looking at him. As they locked eyes, the ravenette’s features looked rather hopeful to his friend. “You did amazing, Goro.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Akechi brushed the compliment off with another compliment. “At least that worthless man got what he deserved. He did horrid things to us, and I’m glad he’ll be paying for them as we speak.”

.

.

.

A speck of hope sparkled in Crow’s eyes as his rival and friend approached him from the other side of the jail cell. “... Akira.”

Joker had recalled his rival extending his hand towards him as he disappeared into nothingness a while back. So seeing him alive and well made him smile and, above all, glad. “I came to get you out.”

Crow chuckled, looking away from him. “For some reason, I knew you would. Though to be honest… I may have had my doubts at times.”

“You don’t need to. I meant what I said before all those years ago: you’ll always have me.”

“You always DID come through for me when we were little after all… so why should I expect any less from you now?” The cell’s door suddenly disappeared. And noticing this change, Crow stepped out of his prison. “So let’s finish this once and for all.”

Joker nodded with determination, a smile on his face. “I’ll be counting on you.”

“Likewise,” Crow nodded back.

But just as Crow was about to turn around and walk through the hallway to meet the others, Joker caught him by the wrist. “Wait.”

“What?” Crow asked, turning to him once more.

Pulling at his arm, Joker brought him into an embrace. “We hardly hug anymore…”

“So?” Crow raised a brow, his arms hesitant to move. “We grew up, Akira. People tend to change.”

“People don’t change: they evolve. And one of the things that changes in people are their feelings.”

Crow sighed, silently agreeing with the idea, before making a final decision and finally hugging Joker back. “You never cease to amaze me.”

.

.

.

Crow slowly began to get up, not wanting things to be over just yet. “Let’s do this… for everyone’s justice.”

“And for ours,” Joker added looking at his rival and friend, before they faced the powerful god before them once again: Yaldabaoth.

.

.

.

“Unbelievable” Akechi sat on his usual spot at Leblanc, Akira arriving seconds later to meet his gaze on the other side of the coffee bar. “How could Maruki make this sort of bullshit happen?”

“Nice to see you, too,” Akira said, before rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh...”

With crossed arms, the brunet raised a brow. “What is it?”

“... So I just found out something recently,” the young man admitted. “And you may not like it…”

Akechi started tapping a finger on his arm, his patience wearing thin. “Well, spit it out.”

“Apparently in this reality, we’re actually dating.”

“Are you serious?” Akechi sounded annoyed. Akira knew he must have hit the nail on the head with his assumption. His rival’s current behavior said it all. “What the hell was Maruki thinking?”

“Calm down.”

“I AM calm. It’s just beyond my comprehension why Maruki would force us into such a state.”

“So you think it’d be impossible for us to actually fall for each other?”

“Are you honestly entertaining the thought of us actually seeing each other?”

“Well…” Akira started kicking the air lightly.

His rival, however, was staring him down and not having it. “Akira.”

“What?”

“Answer my question.”

“... Maybe.”

“Maybe? For the love of—”

“I did for a while, actually.”

After a moment of suspensive silence, the brunet let out a sigh. “Please tell me you’re kidding…”

Akira’s expression became serious. “Why would I kid about us?”

“... I should get going.” Akechi stood from his seat, refusing to hear any more of his rival’s blabbering. “I’ll text you when I get back.”

.

.

.

“Now, what is it, Akira?” Akechi stared at his rival with serious eyes as he sat on the attic sofa, before taking his cup of coffee and taking a sip. He then placed it down on its tiny plate before setting it down on the table right next to his seat. “We have to infiltrate the palace tomorrow to finally secure the treasure, so whatever you need to say, make it quick. We need all the rest we can get.”

Akira just sat next to him, trying to organize his thoughts. “... You know how you mentioned over at Mementos something about “a point of no return”? You know, when we had our duel?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been meaning to pass a specific point of no return… But I don’t know how you’ll take it. It’s kinda overwhelming… Which is why—”

“You’re rambling,” the brunet interrupted. “I won’t know unless you tell me, so out with it.”

“Can I kiss you?” Akira blurted out just as Akechi took a sip of his coffee once more.

The out-of-the-blue question just made Akechi choke on his drink. “Are you seriously asking this?” He set the cup aside once again. “Right when Maruki is manipulating everyone’s minds?”

“Bad timing to ask?”

“It’s extremely bad timing to ask! Akira, if this is your poor excuse of a joke…”

“It’s not a joke.” Akira said, grabbing at Akechi’s arms. “I would never treat our relationship as a joke. You know that better than anyone.”

He looked away from his rival for a moment, before locking eyes with him again, his mind made up. “Then who’s stopping you?”

Pulling him closer, Akira crashed their lips together, Akechi’s hands rapidly running across the ravenette’s hair just to deepen their kiss further. It was the impulse on Akechi’s end that made the two topple onto the couch, their tongues intertwining with each other as a moan escaped their lips. Parting slightly, Akechi bit on Akira’s lower lip, before darting towards his neck and biting it. Hard. Akira stifled a moan at the sudden action, but soon felt Akechi’s hungry lips on his again, all the while hearing the sound of their clothes rustling in the background. 

.

.

.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay for one more night?” Akira sat up on his bed, noticing his rival calmly putting on his shirt while he sat at the bed’s corner. It was the morning before the awaited day: the day when the Phantom Thieves take back their true reality. And they were just getting ready for Maruki’s intervention, which could happen at any point during the day.

“I can come back anytime I want, Akira,” Akechi stated, looking back to meet Akira’s gaze. “What’s the difference between coming now rather than later?”

“Cuz we’re technically dating in this reality?”

“Are you for real?” The brunet arched a brow. “Akira, we can just start dating in our real reality. It’s not rocket science.”

“I didn’t know if you’d agree to it…” Akira admitted, twiddling with the center of his bangs out of habit.

“Idiot…” His rival sighed, before crawling over to him and kissing the corner of his lips. “After everything we’ve been through, do you honestly think I’d say no?”

.

.

.

Despite the hand he held to his face, Akechi could feel the tears trickling down his cheeks, dampening his rival’s shirt. A laugh then escaped his now smiling lips. “Damn it, you fool…”

Two arms then wrapped around Akechi, a ravenette head snuggling closer to his neck. “I finally did it.”

Without the hesitation of his distant past, the brunet decided to hug Akira close. “You never know when to quit, do you?”

“How can I quit if it involves you?” The raven-haired boy stroked his rival’s hair, combing multiple strands with his fingers.

Akechi just chuckled. “As always, I’ll never be able to comprehend you.”

———— **PRESENT DAY** ————

“Why did you keep your feelings a secret all this time?” Akira took a seat on the sofa over at Akechi’s apartment. After returning to their new present, the two rivals had decided to discuss what the hell they just witnessed in private. And that included talking about their emotions.

Akechi sat down next to him, his gaze never wavering from his rival’s. “Are you referring to the first time line or the second one?”

“I guess both?” The ravenette answered with another question. He thought it didn’t hurt to ask, since the truth is already out in the open. “We never actually did anything about them until the second timeline but...”

With a sigh, Akechi decided to bring things to light. “The first timeline is a simple case: given my past crimes, I believed that I truly didn’t deserve such affections, and that redemption was impossible for me. Additionally, I was very much presumed dead before getting out of Maruki’s reality, so there was no point in forming such an emotional connection… especially one that’d leave the other half in shambles. However, THAT assumption was a total farce, as you can clearly see.” He then leaned back on his seat. “As a third and last point… you should know that I didn’t have too many close connections. And emotional ones, at that. The thought of forming a deeper bond was… undesirable.”

“And the second time was different, right?”

“Obviously.” The brunet’s tone then saddened, his gaze averting Akira’s. “Given my earlier connection to you, I refused to see you as anything more than my friend and rival. For years, you were the only living person that’d actually want me around and gave a shit about me. If I had said anything involving a deeper emotion, there would have been the possibility of our bond’s rupture. And I didn’t want that.”

“Goro…”

“But enough about me,” Akechi shook his head, his serious expression coming back. “I’d like to hear your side of the story, since we’re talking about “feelings”. Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could have saved a lot of time and potentially avoided being a pair of pining idiots.”

Akira scratched his cheek with an index finger, looking away from his rival. “... To be honest, I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.”

Akechi just rolled his eyes at him. “Well THAT much is obvious, Joker.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about: me joking around,” Akira pointed out, bringing back his gaze to Akechi’s. “I preferred making it a joke so that I’d have some leverage if you fully rejected me. I didn’t want to push my luck… Besides, you already know I like joking around, so… yeah.”

“Looks like we both disliked the idea of rejection,” Akechi concluded, before placing a gloved hand to his temple and groaning. “I feel ridiculous.”

“But hey, at least your past is a bit different now!” Akira tried steering the conversation in a different direction. “You were just a detective in this timeline, and we took down Shido together. No psychotic breakdowns, no mental shutdowns…”

“And I didn’t try to actually kill you.”

Akira blinked in surprise, before nodding with a relieved smile. “Exactly.” A thought then came to mind. “Oh! And by the way, about the whole dating thing… Are we still doing that? Starting, I mean.”

Akechi just stared at him for a few seconds, before a laugh escaped his lips. “You’re an interesting character, Akira Kurusu. You always were.”

“You know you love me for it,” Akira gave him a playful smile, resting an elbow on his knee as he held his chin with a hand. “But seriously—”

It was then that Akechi brought his lips onto Akira’s, their lips connecting briefly before parting slightly. “If I recall correctly, we already discussed that we could technically start dating once we got back,” Akechi stated matter-of-factly, their lips still close to each other. “Unless you suddenly got cold feet?”

The raven-haired boy just kissed him back, before rubbing his nose against his rival’s. “Never.”

“Then that settles it.” The brunet ran a hand across Akira’s messy hair, before bringing his hand back and standing up. “I’m going to go get the chess board and some movies. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, after all.”

But before Akechi could leave, Akira had grabbed his hand. “Hey.”

His rival just looked at him with an arched brow. “What?”

Bringing Akechi’s hand to his lips, Akira placed a chaste kiss on it. “I’m glad I got to meet you earlier.”

Recalling their first meeting in that second timeline, Akechi felt warm. He had gotten the one thing he wanted most in his life. And it was all thanks to the only person who, in both timelines, cared about him to the point of wanting to stick by him through thick and thin. So with an honest smile, the brunet squeezed his hand. “Me, too.”


End file.
